Email a friend

To

From

Thank you

Sorry

The iPad and other tablets are transforming personal computing, but most of the world still uses laptops for business and pleasure, and 90 percent of them run Windows. Here are the coolest high-end laptops released in 2011 that take advantage of Windows 7's networking, security and UI features.

Of all the high-end business-class laptops, the Sony VAIO SB offers arguably the most bang for your buck. For $999 this machine delivers Intel i5 or
i7 processors, a backlit keyboard, Blu-Ray drive and hybrid AMD Radeon HD 6630 graphics that auto-switch between discrete and integrated GPUs, and
up to 15 hours of battery life with a second battery. Its specs rival the Macbook Pro, but for $300-$400 less.

Considered one of the best and most affordable laptops for both consumers and business users, the Acer TravelMate has extraordinary battery life
of 8 hours. It is a bit heavy for a lightweight laptop at 4.6 lbs., but it is not cumbersome. The Travelmate sports a minimalist design, a smooth brushed
metal lid, and comes loaded with Windows 7 Professional.

The HP Elitebook was designed for mobile business professionals who work in a secure and managed environment, and includes security software
such as HP ProtectTools. The Elitebook can also harness the enterprise networking and security features baked into Windows 7 Professional such as
DirectAccess, BitLocker to Go, BranchCache and AppLocker.

It may be small in size, but the soon-to-be-released ASUS U36SD is fast and powerful under the hood with Intel's latest i5 Core processors and
NVIDIA GeForce graphics set. Combine this power with 10 hours of battery life and a weight of 3.7 pounds, and you've got a portable notebook that's
hard to beat.

The Samsung Series 9 is regarded as the most elegant of the ultra-thin laptops. The 900x boasts a simple, sleek design with a large multi-touch
trackpad, LCD display, a backlit keyboard, 3 W Stereo HD Audio and 1.3 MP HD webcam. With a 128GB solid state drive you get faster boot ups and the
Core i5 processor delivers on performance. To top it off, you get seven hours of battery. But for all this you must pay $1600.

Behind the Dell XPS 15z's sleek and ultra-thin hardware — it looks a lot like a MacBook Pro — is an Intel Core i7 processer, NVIDIA
graphics, up to 8GB RAM and a 500GB hard drive. So although the body may be thin, performance never will be. If there's a weak link it's the 4 hours of
battery life and high-end price.

This is Lenovo's thinnest ThinkPad ever at .67 inches thick and 3.7 pounds and has drawn comparisons to Apple's Macbook Air. While the X1 is
super thin, it is also rough and tough, passing military specifications so it is guaranteed to travel well. Other nice features include a backlit keyboard and
strong multimedia capabilities. Battery life is weak at 4 hours, but otherwise this is a solid lightweight machine for road warriors.

The Portege R835 is Toshiba's lightest laptop at 3.2 pounds but it is also durable, loaded with a second generation Intel Core processor that
delivers up to 8 hours of battery life and powerful graphics, a huge 640GB hard drive, and 4GB of RAM. With such long battery life and a price of under $900, the Portege R835 is one of the most affordable Windows alternatives to the 13-inch MacBook Pro.